Marshall transfer defensive lineman KaTron Evans’ commitment boosts NC State

By Noah Fleischman

NC State likes to use the transfer portal for two reasons: to fill an immediate need and to balance the experience depth chart in a certain position room. Luckily for NC State, Marshall transfer defensive lineman KaTron Evans checks both boxes after his commitment to the Wolfpack.

The Pack needed another player to fill the middle of its youthful defensive line, and Evans was exactly what the program was looking to add via the transfer portal.

Here’s a look at what Evans brings to NC State going into his final year of eligibility.

Nose tackle rotation?

For each of the past two seasons, standout nose tackle Brandon Cleveland played nearly every game. He turned in 1,014 total snaps across his final two collegiate campaigns, racking up 72 total tackles as a result.

But with his departure for the professional ranks without any eligibility remaining, NC State likely wasn’t going to replace his production with just one player. A transfer addition was needed to help fill that.

Rising sophomore Josiah Victor has immense upside — which he flashed as Cleveland’s backup this past fall — but it would have been tough to ask him to do it alone. Adding Evans, an experienced body on the interior of the defensive line was uber important. 

Evans will be a quality complement to Victor, who accumulated 10 total tackles in his first college season this past fall. He, after all, boasts 34 career tackles, including 5.5 for a loss, between stops at Jackson State, Charlotte and Marshall over the past five seasons. 

How exactly does Evans fit in? His ability to play sound football with a veteran presence is critical. He has posted just five total missed tackles through his collegiate career to this point, including only two in 233 total defensive snaps this past season, according to Pro Football Focus.

Not only is Evans able to use his 6-foot-3, 336-pound frame to his advantage by wrapping up ball carriers with ease, but he’s able to create negative runs, too. Half of his total tackles — 17 to be exact — have been credited as “stops,” which are tackles that result in a failure for the offense, according to PFF. 

Evans is the type of nose tackle that NC State was looking for. It beat out Oregon for his services after Evans stopped by Eugene before his trip to Raleigh, making a critical recruiting win for the Wolfpack program as it wraps up the transfer portal window.

It’s not often that a program can check a critical box this late in the portal process, but that’s what NC State was able to do by earning a commitment from Evans.

What’s next?

NC State’s transfer portal board is winding down with the roster-building process coming to a close. Where does the Pack go from here?

Great question.

The Wolfpack recently hosted Southeastern Louisiana quarterback Carson Camp, who would fill a depth role in the position group, over the weekend, while Texas State transfer defensive tackle Devarrick Woods was on campus Monday. 

Those are the two to keep an eye on moving forward, but so is adding one more linebacker. NC State wanted Oregon transfer Kamar Mothudi and USC transfer AJ Tuitele, but both recently committed to Cal.